Vung Tau greyhound betting operation stops as its project term ends

The greyhound betting operation in Vung Tau, licensed before Decree 06/2017/ND-CP took effect, has stopped as its project term ended¹. The closure is recorded in a Vietnam gambling regulation and licensing review last verified on 23 September 2026¹. No date for the closure, and no statement from the operator, has been reported¹.

Decree 06/2017/ND-CP, dated 24 January 2017 and in force from 31 March 2017, permits betting on horse racing, greyhound racing and international football on FIFA-sanctioned matches listed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism¹. Players must be 21, and bets range from VND 10,000 to VND 1 million per player per product per operator per day¹. Tickets are sold through terminals and by telephone, not over the internet¹. A single five-year football betting pilot, for an operator with VND 1,000 billion of charter capital chosen by tender, was provided for but had not been tendered at the Minister of Finance's last report in 2024¹.

The Vung Tau operation was licensed before that decree¹. At the same 2024 report, no horse or greyhound betting license had been issued¹. The review states that the operation stopped as its project term ended, without giving the term's length or start date¹.

Betting businesses face a special consumption tax of 30% on revenue less prizes paid and amounts returned to customers for unused chips, under Law No. 66/2025/QH15, in force since 1 January 2026¹. Casinos pay 35% on the same basis¹. A Ministry of Finance draft decree published for public consultation on 29 September 2025 would replace Decree 06/2017, adding internet distribution alongside terminals and telephone, raising the daily cap to VND 10 million per player per operator, and capping foreign ownership of horse and greyhound operators at 49%¹. It had not been adopted at review¹.

What it means for players

Greyhound betting in Vietnam was already confined to a licensed operator's own racecourse, its terminals and telephone accounts, with no internet channel¹. With the Vung Tau operation closed and no horse or greyhound license issued as of the 2024 report, there is no reported licensed greyhound venue for locals, expats or visitors to bet at¹.

Betting on international football remains provided for under Decree 06/2017, but the single pilot had not been tendered by 2024, so no licensed football betting operator had been appointed¹. All online gambling is prohibited, and the Penal Code treats unlawful gambling with stakes of VND 5 million or more as an offense for the player, with internet use raising the offense to a higher range¹. The Ministry of Public Security charged 46 people across two online betting cases in July and August 2026¹.

Casino winnings are excluded from personal income tax under Law No. 109/2025/QH15, in force from 1 July 2026, while betting winnings are taxable at 10% on the part of each win above VND 20 million¹.

What happens next

The Ministry of Finance draft replacing Decree 06/2017, which would allow licensed betting over the internet with a VND 10 million daily cap, was published for consultation on 29 September 2025 and had not been adopted at review¹. A separate draft replacing Decree 03/2017 on casino business, published for consultation on 1 August 2025, had also not been adopted¹. The Ministry has said it is studying a dedicated law on casino and betting business to replace both decrees¹.